


Tell Me A Tale

by Flighty_Days (orphan_account)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Character Deaths, F/F, Fantasy AU, Fluff, Iwa's a dragon, Lots of Angst, M/M, Magic, Tags will be updated as the story progresses, hanahaki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-09-21 05:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9532595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Flighty_Days
Summary: Hajime has grown up hearing many stories, but he'd never imagined the one that captured him the most would come true.Tooru's been lonely for many years, now just a fantasy, a legend. But he'd never imagined what he wanted most, someone who would stay with him, would happen.





	1. Of Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, I have so much planned for this AU. This was mainly written for my friend Luna, so I hope she enjoys~

Hajime grew up hearing a lot of stories.

The old sages Matsukawa and Hanamaki had tons to tell, spending their time entertaining spirit kids when they had nothing better to do.

Which was usually most of the time.

So Hajime grew up with stories, laced from poetic words and smiles shared between memories that may have been changed for entertainment just a little. They spin tales like spider webs and Hajime is entangled.

"Tell me the one about the fountain of youth," he asks. Hajime is young, about five in human years. He's just started shapeshifting, eyes green like his scales and the trees he flies above.

"Ooh, I love that one!" Hanamaki claps in delight. His appearance is young, and so is his mindset, determined to keep up with today's traditions. Hajime has no idea where Hanamaki got Matsukawa a cellphone and he figures he'd rather not know.

"Mattsuuuun!" Hanamaki calls.

Almost immediately, the trees start shaking, the forest itself moving as Matsukawa appears. Hajime turns his head away as Hanamaki greets Matsukawa, instead watching the lesser spirits scutter away and flit through the sky, lighting it up.

Hajime loves his home.

He loves the forest he lives in, shrouded with a magical cloak so it's hidden from human eyes. It's gorgeous, sitting behind a shrine, green and alive. He loves watching the people come up to the shrine to pay visits to gods they don't know live amongst them.

Hajime's been told that the people's beliefs keep the forest alive. As long as the people live, they all live too.

He turns back to the sages and they settle down on the ground, ready to tell their story.

Hajime has heard this tale many times before, and it changes slightly every time. He'll never point it out, though.

He sits, and listens, and loves.

  
Hajime grows, his shapeshifting mastered at a ripe age of seventeen, able to fully become a dragon, and ready to let the dragon tamers ride.

There is a long, rich history between dragon tamers and dragon spirits, passing back decades, bonds as tight as the pinch of a disapproving mother's lips.

Hajime is often referred to as the disapproving mother of his class, mostly by Matsun and Makki, as the sages are still his close friends, even after years.

Hajime watches as Tsukishima Kei, a tall blond rider, walks up, gear packed, with a freckled boy, Yamaguchi Tadashi following closely behind. As long as Hajime has known these two, they have been close, maturing and growing right next to the other.

Their dragons, Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koushi, stand waiting, eager to teach; eager to learn.

Hajime himself had chosen not to pick a rider, at least not yet, as he preferred to ride alone and let the forest guide him on his own. Makki likes to tease him about being a lone wolf.

"Tsukki!"

Hajime has trained these kids for a long, long time, and he likes to think he's a big part of their lives. He can kind of see why Mattsun refers to him as their mother, with the doting way he behaves.

To be honest, Hajime has never been as proud of any of his students as these two. They've grown and blossomed like the flowers at the edge of the river, flying in more than one way.

Hajime turns away as Yamguchi leans up to peck Tsukishima on the lips, another reminder of the change in seasons.

Hajime's mother has been pestering him to find a lover soon- _you're getting older, you know?_ -as mating season is buzzing like bees. To his great annoyance, Mattsun and Makki take great pleasure in joining Hajime's mom.

Hajime's always been more interested in stories, though.

  
"Tell me the one about the fountain of youth."

"Aren't you a bit too old for fairy tales?" Mattsun asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"A bit too big, too." Makki adds.

Hajime, sprawled out in his dragon form, yawns and stretches out more. He speaks, not exactly in a human language, but the sages still understand.

"Aren't you too old to be pretending you're teenagers? You're like, four million years old." he shoots back, puffing warm air into their faces.

Makki huffs, and floats up to Hajime's eye level, seating himself on the air like it's a chair. If a Hajime looks close enough, he can see the wind swirling to keep Makki flying.

"You've heard this story multiple times," Mattsun comments, settling against Hajime's paw, wedging himself between his claws. Hajime has half the mind to flip him off, but he simply retracts his claws, letting Mattsun fall back.

"Go on," he urges them.

Makki looks down at Mattsun, who nods wearily, before starting.

_  
Deep in the forest, there sits a clearing. In the middle of it, there is a fountain that glows like gold. It's always flowing, supplying the lake around it with water that grants you something everyone wishes for._

_Eternal youth._

_A man sits there, rumoured to be the most beautiful creature in the world._

_He's lived in that clearing all his life, years and years, countless._

_Some say he's the sweeter than the richest honey, others say he's the evil you find in the bottom of bottomless pits, tricking anyone he can to bathe in the lake and join him in his eternal hell._

_Nobody knows what happens to those who fall for him, they seem to simply disappear._

_Truth is, every time a being falls for his sea blue eyes, another star appears in the sky, leading more and more victims to their deathbeds. It's a trap Hajime; don't listen to stars that might be just a little too bright._

_The fountain is a treasure containing all any mortal could ask for. Your beauty forever solidified, your age paused, like a frozen hourglass. Forever stuck in the stars._

_So listen Hajime, don't fall for stories._

  
Hajime loves to fly. He also loves to explore.

So when he finds himself awake before anyone else around him, the first thing he does is get to feet and soar.

He goes as high as he can, fresh morning dew still clinging to the leaves around him. There are still stars in the dawning sky, faintly outlining their map.

If he looks closely enough, they almost form a path. It's entrancing, leading, a tale of world of all Hajime could imagine. He wants it.

He wants it so much.

There's always a prickling in his heart, a whisper that he's getting too old to be the way he is. Too old to be chasing stars, or running around on his own through the forest. He's too old to wander down to the village, should find a proper mate and stop flirting.

_If only he could be forever young._

  
Hajime wakes up. He doesn't recognize the place.

"And another one bites the dust!"

An unfamiliar voice calls from above and Hajime's blurry eyes spot a figure skipping across stones a few feet away.

Wait. Those aren't stones. The person is literally _walking on water._

Hajime has only witnessed sages control the main elements of the earth; air, water, fire and earth.

And Hajime has only heard of two sages.

He tries to sit up, but his whole body feels like it's being pinned to the ground. He can only twist his head around. The grass underneath him scratches his bare back, but he still strains against it.

From what Hajime can see, the figure is wearing a long blue cape, thin vines and feathers decorating the collar. Scatters of white flowers decorate their robe, and it almost seems like the water from the lake follows them. An icy tiara sits on their head, more flowers and vines weaving through it.

Hajime tries to talk, but nothing comes out of his mouth.

The figure turns to him, and Hajime is surprised to see a veil covering their face. It's thin enough to distinguish features though, like dark eyes, a sharp nose and pouty lips.

The person giggles, and it sounds like bells to Hajime's ears. He can see from the front that they're wearing a simple blue tunic, and slim white pants showing off a male figure.

They crouch down beside Hajime and cock their head. They pull a locket out of their shirt and dangle it in front of Hajime.

"Did you lose your voice?" they ask innocently.

Hajime understands when he sees the glow come from the locket. This person is definitely special if they can steal voices.

"I'll give you back your voice!" they continue. "On one condition," they lean closer to Hajime's face and their veil brushes his lips. "Won't you stay and talk to a lonely man?"

Hajime doesn't answer. The man pouts and leans closer, until Hajime can see brown eyes and smell rain.

"Please?"

Hajime's head spins.

The next thing he knows, he's sitting against a log, the stranger seating cross legged across from him. Hajime can see a grin poking out beneath the veil.

Between them, the locket lies open, empty.

"Where's my-" Hajime trails off. "My voice,"

"Not a very bright one, are you?" The man chirps.

Hajime glares at him, and the man giggles.

"You've got a lot of tattoos!" the stranger coos. Hajime glances down at his bare skin. Swirls of runes and scaled patterns cover the upper half of his body, his legs covered by baggy pants.

"Are there more under your pants?" the man asks. Hajime basically growls at him.

"Stop trying to get in my pants before you even know my name." he hisses. "These tattoos are here for a reason,"

"Aw, you're pouting!" the man cries. Hajime gapes, but before he can retaliate, the stranger goes on. "Okay, grumpy pants, what's your name?"

Hajime gives him a deadpan stare in response. The man frowns, before flicking his wrist. Hajime has about two seconds to question what's happening before he's lifted in the air, water surrounding him and trapping him in place.

Hajime feels like his life is being squeezed out of him, but he keeps quiet about it as the man walks up, cloak flowing behind him and veil fluttering.

He looks like royalty, Hajime faintly thinks.

The man grabs Hajime's chin and lifts it to lock their eyes. The man's eyes are brown, rich enough to make Hajime feel like he's melting in them.

"Now sweetheart," he says. "What's your name?"

"Iwaizumi," Hajime grits out. When the man pouts he adds on, "Hajime."

The man immediately pulls away and claps excitedly, like a small child. The water drops away, leaving Hajime wet and on the ground once again.

Hajime stands up, wiping off his body. Now that he's free, he has a chance to survey his surroundings. He's in a clearing, a lake in the center of it, and stars shining bright above. Hajime's eyes widen when he takes a closer look at the lake to see a fountain in the middle, gushing sparkling water.

He looks back to the stranger, who's been distracting by a spirit hovering on his fingers. Hajime watches, mildly horrified, as the man devours the spirit in one bite, swallowing it and turning back to Hajime with a grin.

"Do you enjoy my home?" he asks.

"I need to get to _my_ home. Where am I?" Hajime asks instead.

"Aw, Iwa-chan, that's no fun. You can't be itching to leave already!"

"Iwa-chan?" Hajime splutters. The man lights up again, cape fluttering.

"You're Iwa-chan! I need a cute nickname for my cute friend anyway." he chirps.

Hajime growls. "I am not cute, and I am not your friend. Now let me leave." he snaps.

The man droops, and Hajime almost feels bad until he perks up again, holding up one hand.

"On one condition!" he says. "Come back and visit me sometime!"

Hajime eyes him warily. It's obvious this masked man is dangerous, but something in Hajime is curious, _so curious_ to know more about him.

The man seems to take Hajime's silence as a positive answer, as he grins and sweeps his left arm out. An opening appears in the trees, and a string of lights float down an old path.

Hajime starts down it, but pauses and turns back.

"I never got your name," he says.

The man smiles, and lifts his veil.

"Oikawa Tooru."


	2. Of Wonder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New tags lm a o.

Hajime can't stop thinking about Oikawa.

He'd never seen a man so beautiful, and the way the forest responded to him, the wind and water dancing around him, had made him seem even more regal.

There's something about his meeting with Oikawa that seems almost unreal, like a dream.

Maybe that's why Hajime wants to wander back to visit Oikawa. Problem is, he has no idea how to get back to him.

Last time, he'd just ended up there, waking up in a daze.

Multiple days, he wakes up at the crack of dawn, and circles around the tops of the trees, looking for some sign as to find Oikawa again.

Eventually, people start to notice the toll it takes on him, making Hajime more tired and spacey than usual.

"Okay, just go rest senpai." Kei says after a few minutes of Hajime dozing off on them. "It's obvious you're exhausted and you're not being much help anyway."

It's oddly considerate for Kei, but Hajime can't help but smile at the harsh bite that covers his concern.

"Yeah, you look like you could use a nap," Tadashi adds on. He doesn't bother hiding any worry.

Hajime doesn't have the heart to refuse them, especially when he knows they're right. He needs to get Oikawa out of his mind, and a long, long rest.

It's invading his mind.

And lately, his lungs. As Hajime walks through the forest, he can feel his insides burning, but it's been happening for a bit, so he ignores it.

Hajime coughs into his hand, vision blurring. "What the fuck?" he mutters. His lungs are burning, and it almost feels like something is trying to force its way up his throat.

Hajime coughs and splutters, trying not to vomit all over the forest floor. He reels back when a petal falls to the ground.

It's stark red.

  
Hajime is coughing up blood and more petals by the time he makes it to the sages' cave.

He brushes past the vines, hacking up a full flower. It's devastatingly beautiful, but it's covered in blood, which makes it slightly less aesthetic.

Makki materializes in front of him, pedalling back as he sees the state Hajime's in.

"Jesus fucking christ, what the hell Hajime?" he yells. "Mattsun, get your ass over here, something's fucking wrong!"

 _Yeah no hell,_ Hajime thinks, slipping to the ground. He's a dragon, he should be spitting flames, not vines and petals.

His vision gets shakier, blacking in and out as Mattsun and Makki speak, unable to focus on anything except the pain in his lungs.

  
"Hanahaki," Mattsun says. "Hajime, who have you been looking for?"

Hajime turns bleary eyes towards him.

"Don't think we haven't noticed," Mattsun persists. "You've been up at the ass crack of dawn every morning searching for someone. _Who is it_?"

Hajime mumbles, "Oikawa Tooru," and that triggers another surge of petals, burning his insides.

Makki rushes over with a bucket, wiping away at the blood dripping from Hajime's nose and mouth.

"Unrequited love, huh?" Mattsun comments.

"I can't-" Hajime wheezes. "Can't find him,"

Makki groans. "He's going to die at this rate," he says to Mattsun. Hajime's head spins.

Mattsun presses his lips together tightly. "You stay here and watch him, I'm going to find this Oikawa Tooru of his."

"What?" Makki screeches. "No way, I'm coming with you!"

"You're the better healer here, stay with Hajime!"

"The dragons could help him more than I could!"

Hajime drifts away.

  
He wakes up to a cool cloth on his forehead, and Suga's hazel eyes.

"Oh good you're awake," Suga breathes out. He seems a lot more relaxed than Makki or Mattsun. "There's been no use to searching for your mystery man, he's nowhere to be found." he adds.

Hajime isn't surprised. Oikawa is hidden away. He won't be found if he doesn't want to be.

Suga pushes back Hajime's hair from his forehead. "It's a full moon tonight." he says cryptically.

Hajime nods.

  
His head pounds as he sneaks out of the sages' cave that night. Not a lot of creatures dare come out during the full moon.

It's the time for the darker part of the forest, and it does strange things to your head. Hajime figures that he can't really get worse than falling in love with someone who may have been a figment of his imagination, and coughing up blood and petals.

He changes form, his skin prickling as it melts into scales. It feels like he's being torn apart from the inside.

He claps his wings a few times, getting used to the amount of magic in the air hitting his body.

And he soars.

  
This time, he can see the portal swirling and opening as he flies towards it.

Oikawa is waiting on the other side, veil still over his face.

"This isn't another world, is it?" Hajime asks between coughs.

Oikawa shrugs. "I'm not entirely sure, I've been here way too long,"

Hajime raises an eyebrow at Oikawa and finds his insides relax when their eyes meet. The turning of his stomach stops for a bit, and his lungs don't feel as stifled.

"You're a wreck," Oikawa frowns. "What the hell happened?" Oikawa's voice gets progressively more alarmed as he gets closer to Hajime.

"You're bleeding!" he exclaims.

"I noticed," Hajime coughs out. Oikawa looks even more alarmed.

"Here, let me heal you!" Oikawa nearly forces Hajime onto his back. "I need to know what's wrong with you."

Hajime shakes his head. "H-" He chokes on a cough. "Hanahaki, or something,"

Oikawa's eyes widen comically. "You're in love!"

Hajime coughs blood onto Oikawa's shirt.

  
_"You've got a deadline, Hajime."_


	3. Of Desperation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [coughs] wow... things took a dark turn.....

Hajime spends most of his days in Oikawa's strange land; his lungs always seems to feel a little clearer there.

Progressively, he seems to be getting better, but people around him soon start wondering where he's been going.

"Hajime, you should eat with us," turns to "You've been coughing up less leaves, you don't need to be with your mysterious lover so often!"

Hajime feels guilty, but he declines every time.

Mattsun looks at him strange and Makki talks less as the days increase, but Hajime doesn't ask what's wrong.

  
"Things feel different,"

"What?"

Oikawa frowns at Hajime, brows creasing. "Don't you notice it? The air's thinning."

Hajime looks up and notices an alarming fact. The stars in the sky are disappearing.

"This is," he starts off. "This is a different realm, isn't it? Anything with the world outside shouldn't affect your home."

Oikawa purses his lips. "That's not the entire truth. The walls are fading, Hajime. My world is also connected to the people who believe in us."

"Why? If the walls fade, this entire place is in danger, is it not?"

Oikawa traces a finger in the dirt before pushing his veil back, huffing.

Hajime stares.

Oikawa glares at him. "What're you looking at, Iwa-chan?"

Hajime flushes. "You have dirt on your face," he mumbles, a half truth that doesn't reveal that Oikawa is stunning no matter what.

Oikawa scowls. "Yeah I know, I look disgusting, leave me alone."

Hajime blinks, then scowls back. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Oikawa yanks his veil off, revealing fluffy brown hair. "I've seen myself in these waters, I know what I look like."

Hajime is bewildered. "Oikawa, you can't even see yourself properly-"

"Don't lie to me!"

"The water fucking ripples, dumbass!"

Oikawa is still.

"Are you kidding me?" Hajime asks. "No wonder you think you look weird, the water distorts you! You're beautiful, Oikawa."

Oikawa opens his mouth, cheeks flushing and eyes shining, and the world shatters.

More specifically, all the water in the fountains and lakes explodes.

Hajime scrambles away from the waves, but it doesn't do much. They're bigger and stronger than he expects, basically sweeping him off his feet and crushing around him.

Hajime tries to suck in a desperate breath, calling out, "Oikawa!"

His mouth fills with water, and he struggles, wondering if this is his demise. Wonders if Makki's and Mattsun's warnings were real.

What the hell is happening?

His thoughts are interrupted by arms around him, squeezing but lifting him out of the swirling water, giving him sweet release from his watery cage.

Hajime comes face to face with Oikawa, hair dripping, tears rolling out of his eyes and clothes soaked.

"You're a mess," he mumbles, but he can't bring himself to put any meaning behind it.

Oikawa chuckles, before tucking one of Hajime's longer strands of hair behind his ear. "So are you," he sniffles.

Hajime shakes his head. "I should've known you were an ugly crier. It finally gets rid of some of that regal vibe."

Oikawa snorts, and Hajime can't tell whether he should be concerned when Oikawa leans into the crook of his neck.

"You'll get snot all over me," Hajime mumbles.

"You're all wet anyway," Oikawa whispers back.

Oikawa pulls away to lock eyes with Hajime. Something changes then.

It starts in his toes. A tingle that erupts like a flame inside him, churning his stomach and clouding his mind. The pain passes soon enough, leaving a peace that seems too still to be real.

"Immortality looks good on you," Oikawa says, grinning.

Hajime blanks. "Immortality?"

Oikawa shuffles back, still smiling. "Don't you know the legend, Iwa-chan? This is the fountain of youth. If you bathe in it, you'll live forever. Live with me!"

Hajime gapes. "With you..." he shakes his head. He knows the legend very well. "I'm... the first?"

Oikawa presses his forehead to Hajime's, tears still rolling. "The first, my Hajime."

Although Hajime's never truly known what it feels like to be loved, he can read the mood enough to know to press a kiss against Oikawa's lips.

The water resides before Hajime notices, letting them both down safely onto the ground. He's soaked, the trees around him are shaking wildly, but Oikawa's laughing and they're together, and really, that's all that matters.

  
"Mattsun! Makki!"

Hajime is greeted with silence.

The sages' home is still. Usually it's a mess, plants weaving around the walls, animals whispering and scrambling around.

There's none of that right now.

The plants are black and withering, the air stuffy.

"Mattsun!" Hajime delves deeper into the cave. "Makki!" There's no answer, but when Hajime turns the final corner to their bedroom, he nearly screams.

The two sages are collapsed against the bed, faces pale and eyes blank.

Hajime runs over, and his nostrils twitch with the scent of death. Even before he places his hand against Makki's pulse point, he knows what's coming.

Hajime retracts his hand from the cold, pale corpse, his own face draining of blood.

They're gone.

  
Hajime doesn't know whether he should be surprised when he sees the sacrifices by the shrine dwindling. All he sees are prayers to end the war the humans face, save them from their terror.

The plants by the small wooden structure are scorched and black, withering to the core. Hajime kneels down and fingers whatever's alive.

"It explains the death of the sages, does it not?"

Hajime starts when a neko jumps down beside him, twisting and shifting into it's human form, a tall man with shaggy black hair.

"The forest is dying." he says. "The realms are bleeding into the each other but curiously, the only one still okay is you."

Hajime stares.

He hears the first wail echo through the forest, almost exactly matching a bloodcurdling scream from the village below. Hajime's heart shatters when he recognizes the scream of _"Tsukki!"_

He can see the end in front of him when the neko changes form once again and slips away, blending into the shadows.

_"We're dying Hajime."_

**Author's Note:**

> My main tumblr's @lilacbooks, but you can find my art on @sketchedskies!


End file.
